According to ESPN’s Home Run Tracker, there have only been eight other home runs hit this year that went as far as the 470-foot blast Reds first baseman Joey Votto hit this afternoon against Brewers reliever Michael Blazek. Shin-Soo Choo had reached with a one-out walk and remained on first as Votto came to the plate with two outs. After working the count to 3-1, seeing only 90-95 MPH fastballs from Blazek, Votto crushed a 95 inside fastball down the right field line.

Rather than run, Votto knew he had hit the ball well enough that the only outcomes were home run or foul ball. As the ball began its descent, Votto contorted his body as if to will it to stay fair. The ball struck the foul pole near the top. The blast was officially estimated at 470 feet, Votto’s 23rd of the season. He now has a .928 OPS, good for eighth-best in all of baseball.

The video doesn’t really do the home run justice because the cameras couldn’t actually capture the flight path of the ball.

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The Reds won 7-3 behind a quality start from Homer Bailey, who allowed three runs over seven innings. Aroldis Chapman was called on in the eighth and completed the four-out save, getting all four of the outs on strikeouts. The 84-65 Reds temporarily improve to three games behind the first-place Cardinals, and bolster their lead for the second National League Wild Card slot to five games over the red-hot Nationals.

…despite batting behind the gaping void that is the Reds’ #2 slot. Yeah there’s a lot of noise around the Reds and certain people… Votto, Dusty, maybe not Homer so much now that he has a winning record. But it’s the product of higher expectations, which up to a few years ago didn’t exist.

And maybe in Votto’s case, it’s the multitude of called 3rd strikes that he just stands there and watches into the catcher’s mitt. Ok, so he has a great eye at the plate… didn’t players used to foul off corner pitches like that? If he gave more of those pitches a 470-ft HR swing, even if he whiffs it, people might at least think he’s trying.

Did this really necessitate an article? Who the hell remembers the 9th person to do something like this. It’s like writing abut who finished in 9th place in a race. Great for Votto for helping his team, but not worth devoting an article to his 9th longest home run of the season.